Spotlight on Alum Youth Leader, Mira Agarwal, Student at the University of Pennsylvania
Moving across the country and experiencing a different political climate and corresponding voting practices have been eye-opening for me.
Coming from a relatively politically unified and active city into a polarized swing state with significantly fewer voter protections and a weaker culture of voting, along with a pervasive general disinterest in local government, was a transition that I found challenging but exciting to navigate.
Collaborating with the Penn Leads the Vote student organization, I was able to utilize the advocacy techniques that I have honed with the League of Women Voters Oakland on a larger scale as a College House fellow while developing a deeper understanding of the challenges that democracy faces.
The process of organizing large-scale voter registration drives and having one-on-one conversations with students from voter-disenfranchised communities has revealed the power of even marginal increases in access toward shaping a more involved and energetic youth base.
This experience deepened my belief that sustained, personal engagement can meaningfully strengthen civic participation and rebuild trust in local democratic institutions over time. With the upcoming midterm elections, I look forward to crystalizing the lessons I learned and applying them in a new setting.